Medical Laboratory Assistant - FIT Service

North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This creates an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.

We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.

Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received.

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Job Overview

Applications are invited from enthusiastic well motivated individuals to work in the Department of Immunology and Immunogenetics within the grounds of Southmead Hospital. The laboratory is housed in a modern, purpose-built laboratory and the successful candidate will be joining a busy but friendly team.

The Immunology department at Bristol NHS Foundation Trust provides a diagnostic service for the local community serving a local population of approximately 500,000 and a referral service throughout the Southwest.

We are looking for a motivated team player with excellent computer, administrative and communications skills to be part of the small specimen reception area within Immunology.

For part time applicants please note we are committed to working with you to agree mutually acceptable working hours. There is flexibility working between 7am-8pm.

For fulltime applicants the hours and days maybe subject to change depending on the operational requirements of the laboratory.

This is not a HCPC trainee post.

Please note the advert may close early if sufficient applications are received.

For more information about working in pathology please view the video link below:

Main duties of the job

Working as part of a team and under the direction of senior staff to assist in the day-to-day support work of the FIT service within the Immunology laboratory, including data entry and assisting with the reception.

Clerical duties such as data entry of samples, scanning, filing and photocopying paper work.

Note this vacancy is a predominantly a a clerical role involving data entry of samples. The post holder will be based mainly in the Immunology laboratory.

Working for our organisation

Bristol NHS Foundation Trust brings together more than 28,000 staff to deliver over 160 clinical services across thirteen hospital locations, operating from three main sites at Southmead, Bristol city centre and Weston.

With an annual turnover of 2.6 billion, we are now one of the largest NHS trusts in the United Kingdom.

Chaired By Ingrid Barker And Led By Maria Kane As Chief Executive, Bristol NHS Foundation Trust Aims To Transform The Way Healthcare Is Delivered Locally With a Clear Focus On Making a Difference For What We Call Our Four Ps

• Better outcomes for our Patients
• More opportunities for our People
• Fairer more consistent care for our Population
• Best Value for Public Purse

Our Vision For Five Years From Now

• Patients will wait less time to be diagnosed and treated, and they will have the same high-quality experience and outcomes, regardless of who they are or where they live.
• We will meet rising demand by maximising the use of our available resources.
• More care will be delivered nearer to patients, in their homes or the community.
• Digital technologies will have transformed the way we work and the way we deliver care.
• Our people will feel engaged, energised and empowered by their work.
• We will be known as a place where people enjoy working, training and building a career.
• Our volume of globally renowned research and innovation will have grown significantly.
• We will contribute to system financial balance

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Work as part of a team under the direction of senior staff to support the Faecal Immunochemical Test (qFIT) testing service for occult blood for the detection of colorectal cancer in patients within the Department of Immunology and Immunogenetics.

Main duties to include

• Unpacking of faecal immunochemical test (FITs)
• Data input for patient samples for the FIT testing service
• Handling clinical samples including blood, urine and faecal samples
• Labelling samples appropriately ready for analysis in accordance to the minimum data policy
• Following SOPs
• Informing senior staff when requests do not comply with BFT policy for request form and specimen labelling
• General laboratory housekeeping duties as required

Person specification

Education

Essential criteria

• Educated to GCSE standard or equivalent

Work experience

Essential criteria

• Team working
• Motivated
• Computer skills

Desirable criteria

• Working knowledge of UK laboratory computer systems

Knowledge, Skills and abilites

Essential criteria

• Maintain accuracy
• Good communication skills both verbal and written
• Good organisational skills
• Ability to concentrate for long periods of time

Desirable criteria

• Good Interpersonal skills
• Knowledge surrounding the FIT service

We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.

• As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
• The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
• BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
• To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
• If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
• The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
• By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.

Important

Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form. Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job. As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date. When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.

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